The tenth century had been a century of violence in western Asia. The picture during the first half of the eleventh century was no brighter. A series of riots and revolts affected Baghdad. Iran suffered from famines, which had both social and climatic causes. The Muslim world was then experiencing a labor crisis due to the short supply of slaves: the Slavs, who were Christians, “were no longer sold to the Muslims, and the Turks, who had converted to Islam, could no longer be forced into servitude” (Lombard 1971: 221). In 1055, the Buyids (Shiites who ruled western Asia) were overthrown by the Seljuk Turks (Oghuz Turks), Muslims of the Sunni faith who were former officers serving the Ghaznavids. The Seljukids constituted a dynasty, supported by the Abbasid caliphs, and formed various branches. The offering of power by the caliphs to the Seljuks was the result of the disintegration of the Muslim Empire at that time.